October 6, 2025

Mark your calendars! "House of Dynamite" screenings and discussions in Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Albuquerque; more

Dear friends --

"A House of Dynamite" is a new film about the very real danger of nuclear war, from Academy Award winning director Katherine Bigelow (trailer). The film's tagline: "Not if. When." It will be shown in a (very) few theaters starting this Friday (October 10), none of which are in New Mexico. 

Netflix will stream this film starting October 24. Many reviews of the film are available; here is a relatively detailed one. 

On Sunday October 26 at 6 pm, in cooperation with the Santa Fe Friends Meeting (Quakers), we will screen this film, followed by a discussion of the issues it presents, at the Friends meeting house, 505 Camino de Los Marquez, Santa Fe (map). 

We will also host a screening and discussion of the film at the Los Alamos SALA "Social Center" (map) on Wednesday October 29, also from 6-9 pm. 

We will also screen this film at the Guild Cinema (map) in Albuquerque on November 30 (the earliest date available), again followed by discussion, from 12:30 to 3:30 pm. 

We want to use this film as best we can to educate the public about the deadly and quite absurd reality of nuclear war plans. Please help 

The tie-in to plutonium warhead cores ("pits") at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is clear. The pits LANL would make are *SOLELY* to provide a *MULTI-WARHEAD OPTION* for *A NEW KIND OF MISSILE* ("Sentinel") to be placed in *NEW* underground silos, the precise locations of which will be immediately known. Should the current or future U.S. missile fields be attacked, the President has only a few minutes to decide whether or not to launch some or all of these missiles before they are destroyed. 

Speaking of pits, where are the 20 War Reserve pits LANL was required by law to make in the fiscal year that ended last Tuesday, September 30? 

Up to this morning, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has so far maintained strict radio silence on this topic ("Energy Department silent on warhead pit production, Washington Times, Oct 2, 2025"). 

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In related news, available on our pit page: 

 • Former GOP Rep. Brandon Williams confirmed as Trump nukes chief after 'nuclear' option, USA Today, Sep 22, 2025
 • 'People live here': Despite efforts by lab, county, many drivers in Los Alamos still feel roads are unsafe, Santa Fe New Mexican, with published comments by Greg Mello, Sep 13, 2025
 • Nuclear bomb-building plan faces sweeping Energy Department review, USA Today, Aug 28, 2025
 • Energy Department orders "special" investigation of plutonium pit problems, Axios, Aug 27, 2025

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Please see our daily-updated Ukraine War page for much better coverage of the largest and most consequential war in Europe in the last 80 years. 

It is a real pity that the Democratic Party -- nationally and in this state -- fully supports war against Russia, and it is also a real pity that there is no peace or anti-war movement in New Mexico. 

There IS a tiny, hesitant anti-genocide movement, which is wonderful as far as it goes, but that's all. 

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This morning I commented for Russian state media (TASS) as follows:

Putin's offer to extend [the quantitative limits of] New START for a year is an overture that can and should be accepted without further U.S. analysis or delay. The analysis that went into New START is still applicable. It is in the interest of both parties to extend that Treaty. There is no need for "analysis paralysis." While there are minority voices within the U.S. calling for uploading more warheads to existing missiles, there are no plans or real reasons to do so. Neither is there any reason, or short-term capability, to add more delivery systems. 

However if the U.S. supplies Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Russia could well withdraw its common-sense offer to freeze strategic nuclear deployments. Tomahawk missiles in Ukraine would be a serious strategic escalation. 

To oversimplify but not by much, President Trump has to choose whether he wants to work toward peace, or take a big step toward war against Russia. 

Greg, for the Study Group